New Report Finds Virginia Schools’ Harsh Discipline Tactics Raise Students’ Risk of Dropping Out
 
A new report by the JustChildren Program of the Legal Aid Justice Center finds that over 90,500 individual students were suspended or expelled from a Virginia school in 2010-2011, many of them more than once. Most suspensions were for relatively minor misbehavior, such as disorderly conduct, minor insubordination, or misuse of electronics.
 
The Report, entitled “Educate Every Child,” describes how everyone is adversely affected by school exclusion. The Report finds that poor behavioral climates in schools are associated with low student achievement, high dropout rates, increased contact with the juvenile justice system, and high teacher turnover. Furthermore, the Report documents that these harsh discipline policies do not improve student behavior or make schools safer.
 
Read the full report.
 
For more information, please contact Angela Ciolfi at angela@justice4all.org.